FAA opens probe on why flights approaching Ronald Reagan airport received false alerts of nearby aircraft

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has started investigating a report that says some flights while on landing phase to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport received alerts about other possible aircraft nearby despite none being present in the area. 

As per sources, multiple cockpit / Pilots are reporting TA's And RA's during Morning when coming into land at runway 19, at 1000 / 1200 ft.

Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) ideally sound an alarm and give pilots a command of where to fly the aircraft if the system senses an impending collision from another aircraft. However, it is unclear what caused the false alarms this weekend.

“Several flight crews inbound to Reagan Washington National Airport received onboard alerts Saturday indicating another aircraft was nearby when no other aircraft were in the area,” the FAA said. “Some of the crews executed go-arounds as a result of the alerts.”

“The FAA is investigating why the alerts occurred,” the agency added. 

The probe comes amid a series of safety incidents and a week after an American Airlines flight arriving at Ronald Reagan airport in Arlington, Virginia, was forced to abort a landing in an effort to avoid another aircraft. 

An American Airlines Airbus A319-132 plane (N809AW) from Boston (BOS), while arriving at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), discontinued its landing, performed a go-around.

Investigators are still probing the deadly Jan. 29 midair collision between an American Airlines plane and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed dozens of people. 

The airspace around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and D.C. has undergone multiple changes recently following the fatal January 29 midair collision. Helicopter flights have been restricted, and air travel by the U.S. President has resulted in temporary ground stops.

The agency responsible for air traffic control is indefinitely barring most helicopters from using the low-to-the-ground routes that run under or parallel to the airport’s flightpaths.

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